just 16 powerstones away for 3 extra chaps !!!
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Jichang Kwak stood by the door, his hardened hands resting on its rusted hinges. They were old—worn and creaky—like the rest of the house.
His home was ancient. The paint peeled off in flakes, revealing the fragile cement beneath, exposed to his cold, discerning eyes.
He didn't care. Or rather, his worries had finally run dry.
'Soon, I'll have more than enough money to change everything.'
He ran a hand through his silky hair.
His lips twitched at the memory of Apollo making him style it upward. It had almost transformed his appearance—so much so that his younger brothers had done a double take when they saw how handsome their brother looked.
And right on cue… familiar footsteps rushed toward him.
Thump.
Thump.
"Brother!" a cheerful, childish voice rang through the house.
An eight-year-old burst into view, dashing toward Jichang before leaping into his arms. Jichang caught him effortlessly, wrapping the boy in a warm hug.
His eyes softened. "Where's your elder brother?" he asked.
The kid shook his head. "School. But that doesn't matter. I'm here," he said, still beaming.
Jichang smiled, letting the boy snuggle deeper into his neck. . . .
Thud.
.
.
.
Jichang's eyes snapped open at the jarring sound.
Blinking away the remnants of sleep, he looked around the interior of the rental bus. Everything was still as it had been before he nodded off.
He sighed. 'After this, I'll bring them something nice.'
Around him, Gongseob was arguing—again—with Apollo. Surprisingly, Jagyeon Na seemed to be hitting it off with Taesoo Ma.
Stretching his limbs, Jichang stood and approached the bus driver. "Sir, how much longer?" he asked.
The driver responded in a mechanical tone, "Two minutes, sir. We're almost there."
Jichang nodded, though his mind drifted elsewhere. He remembered the figures he'd seen at Apollo's place the night before.
They hadn't just been strong. They were monsters in human skin.
The fear had been primal. His body had reacted on instinct—hair standing on end, muscles tensing as if begging to flee.
He gazed outside. Cheonliang was visible now, though still a bit hazy in the distance. The village looked peaceful—simple homes with triangular roofs, a tall building that could've been a hospital, and lush, green mountains enclosing it on all sides.
The crisp scent of water lingered in the air, likely from the ethereal waterfall that graced the outskirts.
As Jichang took it all in, the bus came to a halt.
"Sir, we've arrived."
Apollo stood first, flashing his usual confident smile. He waved the driver off. "Don't worry, we'll make our way back on our own."
Turning to the group, he announced, "Alright, let's go."
But beneath his casual grin, Jichang saw something else—curiosity... or was it anticipation?
Only time would tell.
"This is the place?" Gongseob grumbled. "Looks like a dump."
Taesoo smiled, turning to face the surrounding landscape. "Of course someone like you wouldn't see the beauty in the mountains."
"This place is pretty," he added, almost to himself.
Jichang finally spoke. "Don't start fighting already. Let's first figure out what's going on here."
As they stepped into the village, they were met with hostile stares. The reason was unclear, but the tension was palpable. All of them turned toward Apollo for answers.
He merely shrugged. "I told you—you're on your own for this. I won't help at all."
And with that, he vanished, using his speed mastery to disappear from sight.
Jichang sighed. 'He's expecting something from us…'
His vertically slit pupils scanned their surroundings.
As they walked deeper into town, Taesoo spoke up. "So he really just ditched us, huh?"
"Yeah," Jagyeon Na added. "And without giving us any info."
Jichang was about to respond when something else caught his eye. Ahead, a large crowd had gathered, blocking their path.
"What's with that?" Gongseob muttered.
As they approached, the villagers glared at them with pure fury.
"Get the hell out of here! Outsiders aren't welcome in Cheonliang!"
"Are we in medieval times or what?" Gongseob scoffed. He stepped forward, face-to-face with the apparent leader. "And if I don't? What're you gonna do about it?"
The man didn't hesitate. "Attack them!"
He swung his stick down toward Gongseob—who dodged with a grin that bordered on gleeful.
"Now this is more fun."
His fist lashed out, smashing into the man's face with enough force to fracture bone.
Jichang sighed. 'This damn troublemaker. We could've just slipped away instead of picking a pointless fight.'
But he understood. Gongseob had drawn first blood—now the rest of them couldn't just stand by.
"Let's finish this quickly," he muttered.
The villagers thought numbers were on their side, but that illusion shattered in moments.
The four kings descended on them like predators upon prey.
One had kicks that could snap bones like twigs.
Another crushed the earth itself with his fists.
A third sliced through crowds with bladed hands—cutting through bodies like butter.
And the last... was untouchable. He moved like a ghost, vanishing and reappearing at will.
A single terrifying thought echoed in the minds of the villagers:
'Why are monsters like these coming to Cheonliang?'
One man, a coward who hadn't lifted a finger, turned tail and ran.
His destination?
The Shaman. . . .
"So you're telling me... these four men wiped out the villagers?"
The Shaman, a small man with an abnormally large forehead, sat cross-legged on the floor.
He was the spiritual and political leader of Cheonliang. The one everyone revered. He had survived the chaos of the Zero Generation.
So when he heard about fighters of such caliber arriving, he understood immediately.
The new generation had come to settle a score.
A nervous grin spread across his face, barely masking the fear twitching in his limbs.
He turned to his trusted subordinates. "I believe you two will be more than enough to handle these nobodies."
The Kojima brothers nodded.
Unaware of the looming threat, the kings continued forward.
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